Selectmen Monday agreed the town’s ban on plastic shopping bags should go into effect sooner rather than later.

 Last May, town meeting voters approved the ban on the use of single-use 2.5 mils plastic bags. In that regulation, July 1, 2016 was the target date for implementing the ban.

“We’re concerned about trying to start this with people arriving for the Fourth of July holiday,” said Wendy Woods-Harwell, who with her husband Bob, petitioned the town last year and worked to pass the ban.

The board agreed, voting to begin the ban on June 15. The board will consider, on a case by case basis, what to do with small businesses that may have purchased bags in a large quantity and still have many in stock.

“The last thing we want to do is create a financial hardship,” said Selectman Linda Cebula.

Harwich is among a growing number of towns to initiate such a ban, Woods-Harrell said. Eighteen towns statewide, eight of them on Cape Cod, have bans in place. Other towns are in various stages of developing bans.

“Harwich can be proud it’s a leader,” she added.

Over the past winter, the few snowstorms that occurred seemed always to fall on planned meeting days for the group working on the initiative, the Woods-Harwells joked. Nevertheless, they’ve continued work, bringing town boards and agencies up to speed with their plans. The couple has been working with the chamber of commerce as well to explore marketing opportunities, including an art contest to create a design for reusable bags and finding local sources for resusable bags.

During the coming month, public outreach through schools, informational meetings and training for volunteers who will work with area businesses will continue. Volunteers will also visit churches and other non-profits and schools.

Slowly, more and more communities are becoming aware of the problems plastics are causing for the environment. The average American family, according to statistics found on the MassGreen.org website, takes home approximately 1,500 plastic bags a year. Across the country, more than 100 billion plastic shopping bags are used and thrown away. To make the plastic grocery bags, as much as 12 million barrels (439 million gallons) of oil are used annually.

Also on the MassGreen website, are statistics that indicate that every square mile of the ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastics. There is increasing evidence that these plastics, consumed by fish that make it into the human food change, act like a sponge for toxic chemicals such as PCBs and DDE.

Woods-Harrell pointed out the danger to animals. According to the Massachusetts Sierra Club, many animals, domestic and wild, mistake plastic bags for food, among them green turtles and right whales.

 

Source : wickedlocal.com 

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